Leaving a gift in your will

Over half of Insight’s income is from gifts left in wills. By leaving a legacy to Insight Gloucestershire, you will help ensure our valuable work continues for many more years to come.

How we use legacy gifts

Legacies given to Insight are always spent on our charitable aim, which is to provide advice and support to people living with sight impairment. Insight has always adapted the services it offers to reflect the needs of our clients. Recently this has meant that we have introduced computer classes, to show people how to use specialised adapted software, or utilise the accessibility options on more mainstream devices. However, classes will always be geared towards each person’s particular needs. We have also added easy to use Smartphones to the range of equipment in our Low Vision Resource Centre and are happy to offer training on how to use them.

£500 – Goes towards paying for the distribution cost of Insight Magazine. This interesting read keeps clients up to date on a range of topics, such as whether there have been any advances in treatment options, or what new products are available to make living with sight loss a bit easier.

£1000 – Helps towards the cost of training a Sight Loss Advisor.

£10,000 – Makes sure that there is someone to answer the Helpline when you call.

£100,000 – Helps towards Insight’s core operating costs for a year, so people with sight loss can access the support they need, when they need it. It currently costs around £200,000 per year to provide the services we offer.

Where do I start?

Making a will is far less complicated and expensive than you might think and is one of the most important things you’ll ever do. It is the only way to be sure your family, friends, or favourite charities, will be provided for after your death.

It is always best to use the services of a solicitor when making a will, as they will be able to advise you on all legal aspects, taking into account any future changes or inheritance tax planning. This will ensure that, if you would like to leave a donation to Insight, your will is correctly drawn up.

To find a solicitor, contact The Law Society www.lawsociety.org.uk or ring 020 7320 5650 Do not be afraid to shop around and make sure that you are comfortable and happy with your chosen solicitor.

I’ve already got a will

There may be changes in circumstances, as well as a change of heart that can affect your will. The majority of minor changes can be covered by adding a codicil (an addition or alteration to a will.) A legacy gift to Insight can be added to an existing will by codicil. The codicil must be signed and witnessed and should be kept with the will.Even when creating a codicil it is best to seek the services of a solicitor.

About your will

There are several different ways to include a gift to Insight Gloucestershire:

Residual donation – Leaving a percentage of the residue of your estate, after all dependents have been provided for.

Pecuniary donation – Leaving a specific sum of money, which can be index-linked to preserve its value.

Specific donation – Deciding to leave part or all of your estate to Insight Gloucestershire.

Your solicitor will need to know the following details:

Charity name – Insight Gloucestershire

Address – 81 Albion Street, Cheltenham, GL52 2RZ

Registered charity number – 204279

Below is a download of the above details that you can print off and pass to your solicitor to help make things easier.

Insight staff are not legal advisors, so always seek the advice of a solicitor when making your will and deciding how you wish to leave your legacy.

If you would like to find out more about leaving a legacy to Insight Gloucestershire in your will, or inform us of your intentions to do so, please call us on 01242 22 11 70 or email info@insight-glos.org.uk

Mrs Wearing who is totally blind in one eye and losing her vision in the other talks about why she is leaving a gift to Insight once she has passed on.

“I feel that they deserve it. Over several years they have helped me. I am glad there is someone there to talk to, on the phone, and somewhere to go to look and try any items before I buy them. Each morning I look at my large print calendar. I use my talking clock and watch throughout the day along with many other items around my home that allow me to live independently. I am aware that there are people worse than me and I want to make sure they can get support when they want it. Until you have gone through losing your own sight you can’t fully understand its impact.”